Sochnut, the Jewish Agency for Israel, keeps actively supporting Jewish communities in the diaspora, by sending Israeli emissaries (shlichim) and providing global security and crisis assistance, linking communities through "sister city" partnerships. The Agency provides emergency funding and safety resources to protect synagogues, schools, and community centers against rising antisemitism and security threats.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog was the head of Sochnut, serving as its Chairman of the Executive from 2018 to 2021 before being elected as the President of Israel. When he left the agency in 2021 to become Israel's 11th president, he publicly endorsed the appointment of his successor, Doron Almog, expressing complete confidence in Almog's ability to drive the organization forward along these same strategic lines.
While Herzog no longer runs the daily operations of the Jewish Agency, he continues to profoundly shape its core mission—bridging ties between Israel and the global Jewish Diaspora—through his official presidential duties and independent global platforms.
Herzog focused heavily on repairing relationships between Israel's right-wing government and the largely liberal Jewish diaspora, famously declaring, "A Jew is a Jew is a Jew, no matter his denomination or the type of kippah he chooses to wear or not to wear."
He maintains a direct influence on the Jewish Agency's mandate through his ongoing work as President. In his presidential capacity, Herzog launched Voice of the People, a global Jewish dialogue council. This initiative directly mirrors the Jewish Agency's core purpose by engaging global leaders to tackle polarization, identity preservation, and Israel-Diaspora relations.
Both the Jewish Agency and President Herzog remain deeply intertwined in their daily operations. Strengthening Jewish peoplehood and visiting global communities facing rising antisemitism remain central pillars of the remainder of his presidential term.
